


Welcome to New York

by writeskatelive



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Coming Out, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Pride, Inspired by Taylor Swift, NYC Pride, New York City, Off-Season, One Shot, Pride, Pride Parades, Short One Shot, figure skating, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:34:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27114760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeskatelive/pseuds/writeskatelive
Summary: Ksenia and Kaitlyn take a day trip to New York City during Pride Month.(Just a cute little one-shot inspired by the song "Welcome to New York" by Taylor Swift).
Relationships: Kaitlyn Weaver and Ksenia Stolbova
Kudos: 2





	Welcome to New York

As an elite-level figure skater, Ksenia had traveled to more cities than she could remember. She had marveled at the treasures of the Louvre in Paris, walked through parks overflowing with cherry blossoms in Tokyo, and immersed herself in the idyllic peace of the Alps in Switzerland. She had grown up in St. Petersburg and spent the last few years living in Moscow. But nothing could have prepared her for the unadulterated euphoria of New York City.

At first glance, it was just like any metropolis: swarms of people bustling past, honking horns in the endless line of bumper-to-bumper traffic, the rumble of the subway beneath her feet. But New York was a cacophony of cultures, as if the entire world had been compressed into one magnificent city. There were Italian sandwich shops nestled against Mexican restaurants and stalls selling Greek gyros. There were men in turbans weaving around a group of Japanese students and a pair of siblings arguing in Spanish. There were mothers in vibrant, traditional African dresses, elderly women in elaborate saris, and a cluster of teenage girls in hijabs. Yet every face on the street, regardless of its color, gender, or age, blended seamlessly into the crowd — not Korean Americans or Indian Americans or Latin Americans, but just _Americans_. In New York, your native culture did not chain you in darkness and define your future. In New York, you could become someone new.

Up ahead, Kaitlyn was skipping along the street, her face turned upward to feel the kiss of the warm June breeze. Her white tank top hugged her long, lean figure, and her black gauchos flared with every step. A beaming smile spread across her face as she paused to inhale the cinnamon wafting from a bakery.

They made an odd couple, Ksenia mused as she jogged to catch up with her companion. With waves of silky blonde hair and her energetic laugh at anything that amused her, Kaitlyn resembled a sunflower – cheerful, strong, and glowing with natural beauty. Ksenia, on the other hand, was petite and intense like an action heroine, with black hair trimmed into a fierce pixie cut. A pair of dark sunglasses shielded her eyes from the noon sun, and she’d thrown on a pair of baggy jeans and a loose white shirt that draped awkwardly from being stuffed in her suitcase for the past week.

They had started talking at the Grand Prix Final almost two years ago, and what had started as a conversation about the best brands of lipstick had blossomed into a fun, fabulous friendship. When Ksenia had announced that she was traveling to the U.S. for new programs, Kaitlyn had offered to let her stay at her new apartment in Jersey, and she’d declared that no visit to the U.S. was complete without a day trip through downtown New York City. They’d spent the past three hours navigating the subway, sampling foods from every corner of the world, and peering through the windows of glamorous stores where everything was ridiculously overpriced.

It was nice being together without Andrew tagging along. For the past week, Kaitlyn’s on-again, off-again boyfriend and skating partner had been accompanying them to dinner, the theater, and their walking tour of Central Park. Even though Kaitlyn insisted that she and Andrew were in the “off again” phase, the frustratingly handsome rascal had been clinging to Kaitlyn’s arm the whole time, whispering in her ear and gazing at her with those overgrown-prom-king eyes. It had awakened a keen annoyance in Ksenia’s chest, like a thorn that wouldn’t stop poking her, and she’d pushed it away before any more dangerous thoughts could follow.

“So where are we going?” said Ksenia. “You said there was something you wanted to show me.”

Kaitlyn’s green eyes sparkled with mischief. “Come on, don’t tell me you’re getting tired already! It’s just another block.”

Ksenia rolled her eyes and kept walking. Of all the things she’d discovered today, she’d found that a block in New York was an awful long distance. But she didn’t mind it so much when she was walking beside Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn had a way of making everyone in her presence feel as joyful and passionate as she did.

And Kaitlyn made Ksenia feel other things. Things she had once thought she didn’t need. Things she had buried under the façade of the ruthless, stone-hearted empress on ice. Things that made her body tremble and her mind lose all reason. Things that could ruin everything she had worked so hard to earn.

Up ahead, she could hear the indistinct roar of a crowd. As they drew closer, she could make out a mass of people draped in brilliant colors. Some were waving banners and signs; others shouted over each other until their voices became a wordless chant. They were packed so tightly together that they blurred into a single cluster, like a tidal wave rushing down the broad avenue.

She glanced at Kaitlyn, one eyebrow raised. “Is that some sort of riot?”

Kaitlyn grinned. “You’ll see.”

Without warning, she grabbed Ksenia’s hand and pulled her headfirst into the throng. A man in a lavender suit stood atop a parade float festooned in colorful balloons, singing a bluesy rendition of “Born This Way”. Tough-looking women with short blue hair and sleeves of tattoos held up signs proclaiming LOVE WINS and WOMEN’S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS. One man was trying to maneuver a selfie stick while another man kissed him on the lips. A drag queen in an extravagant feathered dress jostled Ksenia’s elbow while trying to pass a group of tall, supermodel-like women wearing pale blue and pink t-shirts. And all around them, hundreds of flags in a variety of sizes flapped enthusiastically, bearing the colors of a rainbow.

This was no riot. This was Pride.

Ksenia stood stiffly in the chaos, trying to comprehend the overwhelming spectacle before her. She had seen clips of these rainbow parades on Instagram and marveled at the idea of a country where being gay wasn’t just tolerated; it was _celebrated_. But she had never imagined standing at the center of it all, in the eye of the hurricane. It made her feel exposed, even though no one was staring at her in this wild festival.

“I shouldn’t be here,” she said, but the crowd drowned her voice into silence. She tried to pull on Kaitlyn’s arm, but Kaitlyn was rushing after the parade float, dragging Ksenia along. Her short legs could barely keep up as Kaitlyn broke into a jog, trying her best not to run over any unsuspecting gays along the way.

A hand snapped out of the crowd and caught Ksenia’s shoulder, and she lost her grip on Kaitlyn’s wrist. Instinctively, Ksenia wheeled around, fists ready to defend herself. But when she turned, she found herself facing a girl with a wavy bob of pink hair, heavy eyeliner, and a leather punk outfit.

“Hey.” The girl smiled coyly while balancing a cigarette between her black lips. “I like your hair.”

“T–thank you.” Ksenia lowered her fists and subconsciously touched her hair. She had cut it last summer, hoping that the new style would drag her out of the slump she’d fallen into. It had made her feel bold, fierce, sexy, like a femme fatale in a thriller movie. But as she looked around, she felt suddenly aware of the dozens of women with sassy pixie cuts sprinkled throughout the crowd. Blushing, she glanced back towards the float, where she could make out Kaitlyn dancing in the middle of the street.

The girl’s eyebrows drew together as she followed Ksenia’s gaze. “Oh, is that your girlfriend?”

Ksenia froze. The words felt as powerful as a grenade, but the girl tossed them as nonchalantly as an empty can. “E–excuse me?”

“I’m sorry.” The girl took a few steps back. “I didn’t know you had someone. She’s very pretty, you know.”

“Yeah, she is.” Ksenia stumbled away. “I just–I have to go catch up with her.”

She dodged around the crew carrying a multicolored advertisement for Amazon Prime, ducked between two splendidly dressed drag queens, and ran after Kaitlyn. The float with the blues singer had stopped in the middle of the avenue, and people were dancing along to the rhythm as if the street had turned into a nightclub. Old and young, white and brown and black, male and female and everything in between – they were a pulsing heartbeat of movement.

At the center of the beautiful storm, Kaitlyn was swaying to the beat, draped in rainbow-colored flower leis. She lifted her arms and shook her hips gently, like the long, slender leaves of a willow tree in a summer breeze. Her feet traced intricate patterns across the pavement, but her face was relaxed with simple joy. Her eyes were closed, her lips curled up in a quiet smile, and her body moved as if the music had been stitched into her soul. It was human and ethereal at once, a masterpiece that comes not from honed skill but from natural grace.

A few of the bystanders had started to clap along, marveling at the beautiful newcomer. Kaitlyn opened her eyes and laughed, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. She caught sight of Ksenia lingering at the edge of the crowd and rushed forward, grabbing her wrist.

“There you are,” Kaitlyn said. “I was starting to think they’d dragged you off to be their gay icon of the month.”

Ksenia couldn’t help laughing. For some reason, she had always been a magnet for gay men. Johnny Weir called her the “little tsarina of his heart”, Adam Rippon had hailed her as the only person whose eyebrows were more flawless than his own, and Guillaume Cizeron never left a competition without taking a selfie with her. Their flattery had always made her smile, even though she secretly wondered if they sought her out because they sensed that she was one of them.

“Hey, do you want to dance?” Kaitlyn gestured back towards the crowd clustered around the float. The singer had switched to a stylish rendition of “Cool for the Summer”, and new couples were joining the dance.

Before she could stop herself, Ksenia started bobbing her head along to the music. She could never listen to this song without dancing, whether it was in her bedroom or the grocery store. In fact, her whole aesthetic for last season had been built around the _Confident_ era. With a mischievous smile, Kaitlyn pulled her into the center of the street.

At first, Ksenia’s legs stiffened as she stumbled away from the safety of the sidewalk. A young man with spiky bleached hair smiled encouragingly before spinning back to his dance partner, a guy in ripped jeans and a Gucci sweater. Some people were dancing in organized pairs, others were imitating choreography from famous music videos, and a few just clung to each other and swayed in one place. Despite their various levels of choreographic talent, they all moved as one, like the random strokes of paint that formed an evocative painting.

She glanced over her shoulder. Kaitlyn was leaping around like a child skipping through puddles, a brilliant smile on her red lips. The sunlight shimmered in her hair as she twirled around, laughing. Her skin seemed to glow as if she’d absorbed all the delight of the scene into her own body.

“Nice moves, child!” came a voice on her right. Ksenia looked up and saw a tall black drag queen in a neon yellow dress shimmying a few feet away from her. “Here, let me get you a crown.”

“A crown?” Ksenia stared in surprise, but before she could get an answer, the drag queen was already holding up a wreath of silk roses, each dyed in a vibrant color from the rainbow. In the sunlight, the colors shone like stained glass. With a smile, she set it atop Ksenia’s head and stepped back to take a look.

“There you go, honey. Now you look like the fabulous goddess that you are.”

Ksenia smiled back and pushed the crown up on her brow. The street was filling with more people by the minute, and the sky was now blotted out by the flags waving proudly in the air. As she moved, her feet started finding a rhythm, and she felt laughter rising in her throat. She wasn’t sure if it was the music or the people or just the feeling of being part of something amazing, but she couldn’t stop smiling.

The song ended, and Kaitlyn floated over to her, her cheeks flushed from dancing. “Do you want to hang out here for a while, or should we return to the land of straight people?”

Ksenia glanced around. The sun was blinding, the noise was making her dizzy, and she felt like she was drowning in a sea of color. It reminded her of another time when she’d stood in an overwhelming crowd – the Olympics. The cheers had been loud enough to pop her eardrums, the very air in the arena had hummed with excitement, and everywhere she’d looked, she’d seen the stripes of the Russian tricolor flag. The longer she stayed here, the more she felt herself relax. It was as if the parade was a bottle of beer that slowly wore away her inhibitions as she kept drinking.

“No, I like it here,” she said.

“Looks like we’re going to be cooking our own dinner tonight,” said Kaitlyn, frowning at the note on the counter. “Andrew went out to catch some drinks with the boys.”

Ksenia collapsed onto the living room couch, yanked off her sneakers without bothering to untie the laces, and propped her sore feet on the ottoman. They had followed the parade until the sun had vanished over the horizon, when Kaitlyn had reminded her that it wasn’t a good idea to go walking around New York City in the dark. Her legs were burning from walking and dancing, but she did not feel tired. The celebration had filled her with energy, and even as her feet complained of exhaustion, she felt like jumping up and dancing in the living room.

She set the flower crown on the side table. The flowers were startlingly bright against the neutral décor of the apartment. “Oh, that’s all right. I’m sure we can think of something fun to do without him.”

Kaitlyn opened the freezer door. “Well, looks like it’s going to be a frozen-dinner kind of night. Is that going to work for you?”

Ksenia glanced at her over the back of the couch. Usually, she vehemently rejected anything besides lean proteins and vegetables, certain that even a few grams of butter or sugar would cost her an Olympic gold medal. But her blood still felt hot and electric, and it was making her reckless. “I won’t tell Nikolai if you don’t tell Mozer.”

“That’s the answer I was looking for.” Kaitlyn winked as she slashed the plastic wrap that covered the food containers with a paring knife. “So, what do you think of New York City?”

Ksenia leaned back against the couch and sighed. “It’s just like you said – it’s the city where dreams come true.”

“Definitely! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I mean, there’s really something for everyone there.” She set the oven to preheat, then tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned against the counter. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be up for that whole crazy parade, but I really wanted to show you. You see…New York Pride has always been a really important thing for me, especially when I first moved here.” She bit her lip, leaving a thin line of red lipstick on her teeth, then licked it off quickly. “When I was younger, I always dreamed about living in New York someday. I never really knew why, but I just felt like there was something there for me. But when I finally got here…it was so unlike what I had expected. I felt…lost. I fell into a slump. And then my friend Jeremy wanted to help me get out of it, so he took me to Pride. As an ally.” Kaitlyn swallowed and twisted the ends of her hair. “But I just felt so at home when I got there. Like a part of me always knew that was where I belonged.”

Ksenia’s mouth felt dry. Kaitlyn’s words were hitting her too fast, like snowballs pelting her before she could even see where they were coming from. All she could hear were her own heartbeats, pounding harder and harder with every minute.

“And then shortly after my first Pride…I realized that I wasn’t just an ally.” Kaitlyn glanced down at her feet, smiling to herself. “So I guess that’s why it means so much to me. And that’s why I wanted to share it with you.” A flicker of red colored her cheeks, and she looked up. “Because it’s really fun for allies too. It’s just a really fun place for everyone, no matter…” She stopped. “You don’t think I’m weird, do you?”

“N–no. Of course not.” Ksenia’s tongue felt like clay in her mouth. “You’re not weird at all. That’s…that’s awesome. It’s really cool.”

Kaitlyn’s face broke into a smile, and she sighed in relief. “Oh, I’m so glad. Because, you know, I would completely understand if you did think it was weird. Especially since they don’t have that kind of thing where you’re from.”

Ksenia blushed. Her mind still echoed with memories from the Sochi Olympics – not the glorious moments atop the podium or marching through the splendid opening ceremony, but the flashes of hostility that were discussed but never resolved. She’d seen mothers lining the streets, begging the government to protect their children from this strange, sinful propaganda that the West had unleashed upon them. She’d heard people she used to respect denounce their own gay sons and spray their lesbian daughters with holy water. She’d watched the politicians declare that, in order to prevent the collapse of society and the extinction of mankind, marriage must remain between a man and a woman. And, when all the Olympic medalists had been invited to meet the president, she’d shaken the hand that had signed the bill to condemn her.

She also remembered the posters of beautiful American pop stars she had plastered across her bedroom walls in primary school. She remembered sitting at the lunch table in tenth grade, her eyes darting between the captain of the football team and the long-legged cheerleader on his arm until her brain hurt. She remembered waking up in a foreign room in the Olympic Village, wondering if Putin would really force her into retirement if he found out that his prized silver medalist had just spent the night with a German bobsledder named Sofia.

“No, we definitely don’t have those kind of parades in Russia,” she said. “And from the looks of it, I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon.”

Kaitlyn shrugged. “It wasn’t always like this in New York either, you know. The first Pride was a fight – the Stonewall Riots. The police stormed into a gay bar and tried to tell them that they didn’t have a right to be there, but the people fought back with everything they had. They had been pushed around so much in the past, and they got so fed up that they decided to make a stand. If they hadn’t been so brave, who knows if we’d have any rights today?” She smiled. “I guess you were right when you thought Pride was a riot.”

Ksenia turned the flower crown over in her hands, rubbing the petals of the red flower between her fingers. “That’s pretty amazing.”

“Yeah.” Kaitlyn wandered into the living room, kicked off her cork wedge sandals, and plopped into the easy chair. “It’s only a matter of time before Russia gets a Stonewall Riot of its own. It might be in five years or it might be in fifty, but it’ll happen. No government is strong enough to suppress the human spirit, even though they try.” She put up her feet and wiggled her bare toes. “You know, I haven’t really told many people before, so your support means a lot to me. I know you hang out with Johnny and Adam…but I wasn’t really sure how you’d react.”

Ksenia laughed nervously, trying to ignore the trembling in her bones. “Why wouldn’t I be okay with it? You’re…” She swallowed. “You’re beautiful. You’re the sweetest person I’ve ever met. And I…”

The next words died on her tongue. Kaitlyn leaned on the armrest of the easy chair, her eyes earnest. The golden light from the table lamp illuminated the emotions on her face: relief, confusion, curiosity.

“Is there something you want to tell me?”

“Kaitlyn…” Ksenia licked her lips, trying to force the words to come, but her heart was stuttering with nerves. Her head was spinning, her hands were cold, and before she could stop herself, she leaned over the armrest and kissed Kaitlyn on the lips.

Panic jolted through her blood as she felt warm lips melt under her own, and she stiffened, ready to pull back and swear it was all a mistake. But long fingers slipped into her hair, asking her to stay. She let herself fall into the kiss, tasting the spicy, honey-sweet tang of Kaitlyn’s mouth. The hands in her hair slid over her shoulders and found her waist, locking her into the moment.

Their mouths parted, but Kaitlyn leaned in just close enough to nip a quick kiss on Ksenia’s lower lip. “So what were you trying to tell me?”

Ksenia rose off the sofa, pulling them both to their feet, and grabbed Kaitlyn’s hips. “I’m just really happy that you’re not straight.”

**Author's Note:**

> This work is dedicated to my fabulous friend Meaghan!


End file.
